A/HRC/45/2 recommendations and/or conclusions, as well as its voluntary commitments and its replies to questions or issues that were not sufficiently addressed during the interactive dialogue in the Working Group, and which were presented before the adoption of the outcome by the plenary (see also A/HRC/44/16/Add.1). 1. Views expressed by the State under review on the recommendations and/or conclusions, its voluntary commitments and the outcome 827. The delegation of Guyana, headed by H.E. Neville Totaram, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., appreciated the constructive engagement of all delegations in Guyana’s third universal periodic review and was honoured to present the State’s responses to the recommendations received. Guyana was firmly committed to the universal periodic review process as it provided an opportunity for the country to evaluate progress, identify gaps, strengthen the engagement with its citizens and civil society organizations and make incremental progress in compliance with its treaty obligations. 828. The delegation highlighted that, after the elections of March 2020, there had been repeated and documented efforts by officials in the Guyana Elections Commission and members of the former Government to derail the will of the electorate and that, as a result, the new Government had only assumed office after five months, on 2 August 2020. During this time, 100 countries had supported the efforts of the Guyanese people to peacefully defend their right to choose their government. Guyana wished to record its deepest appreciation for the United Nations Secretary General and the members of the United Nations family for such support. 829. On 11 March 2020, Guyana had recorded its first COVID-19 case and since then, the pandemic had spread across the country. Guyana highlighted the admirable efforts of its people to fight against the virus, such as through the sewing and distribution of 200,000 cloth masks by volunteers and the collection and distribution of thousands of food hampers to poor and vulnerable communities. Bringing the spread of COVID-19 under control – by ensuring the availability of an adequate number of test kits and of pharmaceutical and medical supplies throughout the country - was now the number one priority and Guyana wished to thank all States that had come forward to assist its people and the country’s health system to fight the pandemic. 830. During his inaugural speech on 8 August 2020, the President of Guyana, His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, outlined a development pathway defined by inclusive governance and respect for human rights, better conditions of employment, and social harmony and reduced inequality for all. He reiterated these commitments in his address to the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September 2020 and committed his Government to “greater political inclusion and to enacting institutional reforms to ensure that democracy, the rule of law and constitutional rights are respected”. 831. The delegation reported that many of the initiatives announced by the President of Guyana were in the process of being implemented and would address many of the recommendations put forward during the country’s universal periodic review. It highlighted that budgetary allocations for health, education, housing and water accounted for 33 per cent of the GY$ 329 billion budget and would bring Guyana more in line with the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, Guyana’s emerging transformative development projects would put the country on a more secure path towards reaching these goals over the coming years. 832. The delegation acknowledged that, between June 2015 and July 2020, there had been no land titling of Amerindian/indigenous lands, but stressed that the new Government was committed to urgently addressing pending and new applications for communal land titles and had provided the necessary budgetary support. The delegation affirmed that improving the quality of life of indigenous peoples and reducing the existing disparities were priorities of the new Government, which had restored programmes such as the 132